Australia’s Toy and Game expo happening this weekend

Australia, 8 June 2012 – This Queen’s Birthday long weekend, Australia’s first toy and game expo will bring children of all ages together for the biggest play date the country has ever seen.

The Toy and Game Expo will provide an interactive ‘hands on’ experience for families with 5,000 square metres packed with the latest in toys and games! Available to the general public, the Toy and Game Expo is the first event of its kind in Australia, with exhibitors coming from all over the world to showcase the latest in toys, family board games, card games and other family fun.

Visitors will have the opportunity to test out and play with the latest in toys and games including favourites like Monopoly and Play-doh to the latest Lego exhibits and electronic scooters. Kids will be able to use their energy running and bouncing around the inflatable Eveready Fun Zone, Laser Tag Maze and Nerf Arena.

The aim of the Expo is to highlight the tactile and social experiences that toys and games promote, and also to provide an interactive experience for families. Big name exhibitors, including Hasbro, Lego, Toys Paradise and Moose Toys, as well as innovative local start-ups, will demonstrate the latest in games for the whole family ages 5 to 105.

Charles Bishop, one of the convenors, said, “We believe that toys should be played with, not shrink-wrapped or out of reach of enthusiastic hands! That’s why the Expo encourages everyone to get involved and get their hands squishing with the Play-doh machines, build their fantasy Lego creations, create planes in the construction workshop, race E-Sparks, Razor Scooters and EzyRollers, search for their favourite childhood board game in the Games Library, or play in the giant Nerf Dart Tag Arena”.

“We anticipate the 20 metre by 10 metre-wide Nerf Arena will be one of the most popular attractions at the Toy and Game Expo. As with all the exhibits at the Toy and Game Expo, the cost of the Nerf Arena is included in the entry fee. It is Australia’s first purpose-built Nerf Arena and we are delighted to be teaming up with Hasbro to bring this to Sydney,” said Charles Bishop, Co-Convenor of the Toy and Game Expo.

Fellow convenor, Steve Rohan-Jones, added, “We want Australians of all ages to rediscover the magic of board games and toys that the whole family can enjoy together. Over 150 of the latest European and American board games will be available for play in the Games Library, and we are also bringing back the classics.”

For those serious about board games and popular family games such as Rummikub, Carcassonne, Settlers of Catan, Dominion and Stone Age, there will be National Championships with winners of the Rummikub, Carcassonne and Settlers of Catan receiving an airfare to their International Championships overseas.

Australia’s premier ‘Toy and Game Expo’

When: Queen’s Birthday long weekend, 9-11 June, 2012 at 10am-6pm
Where: Hall 4, Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park
Cost: $10 for a child, $15 for an adult and $45 for a family of 5
Tickets: Tickets are cheaper online. Also available for purchase at the Expo
More info: www.toyandgameexpo.com.au

The convenors, Charles Bishop and Steve Rohan-Jones, have undergone a number of trials throughout the course of their 25-year friendship that have served to reinforce the values that the Toy and Game Expo represents. When Bishop’s son, Josh, was only young, he suffered a severe spinal injury that resulted in him being in hospital for an extended period of time. According to Bishop, playing board games played a key role in keeping Josh entertained and intellectually stimulated during his long recovery period.

Today, Bishop and Rohan-Jones work closely with The Children’s Hospital at Westmead to raise funds for the Spinal Injury Support Program, and proceeds from the sale of raffle tickets at the Expo will be given to this program.

The Toy and Game Expo is made possible by its sponsors, including Toys Paradise, Games Paradise, Mayfair Games and Mind Games Canberra.